Franklin Born: America's Renaissance Man
Benjamin Franklin was the 15th of 17 children and had two years of formal education. He taught himself everything else — printing, writing, French, Spanish, Latin, swimming technique, music theory, and electricity. The kite-and-key experiment wasn't a stunt. It was a controlled scientific test that proved lightning was electrical. He invented bifocals, the lightning rod, the flexible urinary catheter, and the glass harmonica. He was the only Founding Father to sign all four founding documents. He also ran a print shop, published a newspaper, founded a library, organized the first fire department in Philadelphia, and served as ambassador to France, where he was treated like a rock star at 70.
January 17, 1706
320 years ago
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